University of Regina seeks evidence in alleged cheating during ethics class

REGINA — Representatives with the University of Regina say it’s difficult to handle recent allegations of students cheating in an ethics class without concrete evidence, although they say they’re taking the accusations seriously.

President and vice-chancellor Vianne Timmons said the case was reported to the faculty of engineering, which she said they immediately “jumped on” and investigated.

But Timmons said it’s hard to do because there’s not much information.

“Remember, it was from one student with no names identified. It’s very hard then to investigate and find out exactly what happened,” Timmons told CKRM radio in Regina.

“As with every incident that’s reported, we will do a thorough and comprehensive investigation.”

A CBC report said a professor in a fourth-year law and professionalism class handed out a quiz to his class and then left the students under the supervision of teaching assistants. CBC said the university received reports from two students who witnessed others cheating.

Thomas Chase, who is provost and also vice-president academic, said the school wouldn’t investigate unless concrete evidence surfaces.

“It’s unfortunate when we learn that there are allegations of cheating,” Chase told The Canadian Press. “We’d stress in this case that we have allegations from two students, but no concrete evidence or names at this point for the incident that was alleged to have taken place.

“More generally, any kind of allegation of cheating is troubling.”

Chase confirmed two reports from a class on Feb. 6, but reiterated evidence is needed to investigate. He said there is evidence in a second, single case from the same class on Feb. 27.

“We are certainly following that up,” said Chase, who added an associate dean is investigating.

Any students involved could be reprimanded if cheating or plagiarism is proven, he said.

“The penalty can range from a reduction in marks on that assignment, to a failure on the assignment or the exam, to failure of the entire course — all the way up to suspension from the university and, in very bad cases, expulsion from the university.”

Chase said he’s never heard of cheating allegations in a class focused on ethics.

“It’s a concern in any class if people are not being honest,” he said. “It’s particularly unsettling, I’d put it, when that may occur or is alleged to have occurred in a course that deals with ethics and professionalism.

EDMONTON — Alberta is suspending portions of its draft plan to protect threatened woodland caribou, saying more research needs to be done and that Ottawa needs to help out.

Environment Minister Shannon Phillips told the house Monday that the province is acting on concerns about the economic impacts of the protection plan.

“The federal Species at Risk Act is an extremely inflexible instrument that has already had negative economic consequences (in Alberta),” said Phillips.

“We are going to do our best to make sure that we protect jobs on this.”

She said she has sent that message in a letter to her federal counterpart, Catherine McKenna.

Phillips is urging the federal government to help Alberta come up with a workable solution rather than have Ottawa impose an environmental protection order.

Alberta’s draft plan is in response to a federal deadline under the Species at Risk Act passed last October and is designed to help threatened woodland caribou recover in 15 different ranges.

The province released its draft plan on Dec. 19 and then held a series of town hall meetings.

“The public meetings were attended by thousands of Albertans who are concerned about the impact caribou range plans will have on their communities and on the industries that support those communities,” stated Phillips’ letter, which was co-signed by Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd.

The province plans to spend more than $85 million in the next five years to restore caribou habitat by eliminating seismic lines, building birthing pens and bringing in other measures.

It has already invested $9.2 million and the estimated cost over the next 40 years is $1 billion.

Phillips said the feds need to step up on planning and consultation, and on the money side as well.

“Caribou recovery cannot occur without an infusion of federal funds to restore habitat necessary to ensure population growth,” she wrote.

“While we need more time and partnership from the federal government on this matter, we also need your support in not prematurely implementing federal protection orders that will not have effective outcomes for Canadians and Albertans.”

The federal government has the option of imposing an environmental protection order if a province doesn’t come up with a plan to protect the caribou. The order would halt any development, such as oil drilling, that could harm the animals.

Five Things to know about Canada’s forthcoming peacekeeping mission in Mali

OTTAWA — The Liberal government has unveiled Canada’s 12-month UN peacekeeping commitment to the west African country of Mali. It includes two Chinook helicopters to provide medical evacuations and logistical support, along with four smaller, armed Griffons to act as escorts for the larger transports. Here are five things to know about Mali and the mission.

1. Lots of Canadian aid dollars. Mali has relied heavily on Canadian foreign aid, with only the United States and France contributing more. In 2014-15, Canadian development spending reached $152 million. Since 2012, Canada has also contributed $44 million in humanitarian aid following the country’s 2012 crisis (more on that below) and about $10 million to support the UN peacekeeping mission, making Canada its ninth-largest supporter.

2. The 2012 crisis. It started when soldiers overthrew the country’s president, creating a power vacuum that was filled by an Islamic insurgency. The fall of Libya in 2011 busted the locks off Moammar Gadhafi’s arsenal, spreading weapons across north Africa, which armed various militia groups, including al-Qaida linked organizations. France led a war in 2013 that succeeded in driving the jihadists out of the stronghold they established in northern Mali. A UN peacekeeping force was established that year, and it has become its most dangerous mission with more than 160 fatalities.

3. Canada’s drop in the peacekeeping bucket. Canada’s contribution of 250 personnel is far less than many of its allies. The UN mission comprises more than 13,000 troops. Germany, the country whose air support operations Canada will be replacing, has authorized the deployment of more than 1,000 troops. In addition to the UN mission, Germany has contributed 350 troops to a training mission for Mali’s military. France has 4,000 troops deployed to a counter-terrorism mission in northern Mali separate from the UN’s peacekeeping efforts. “This announcement is a small but important step towards Canada’s re-engagement in peacekeeping,” said peacekeeping expert Walter Dorn of the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, noting that Canada’s contribution to peacekeeping has hit an “all-time low” of a couple of dozen.

4. The political peace process. In June 2015, a peace agreement was signed between the Malian government, Tuareg rebels and other rebel groups. The Tuareg first sparked the 2012 rebellion, but that was soon hijacked by the better-armed jihadists. Those jihadists are outside the peace process. Gen. Jonathan Vance, Canada’s chief of the defence staff, said “there is a prospect of a brighter future for Mali” but that “the basic deconstruction of Libya and the rise of terror groups, terror armies” has to be addressed.

5. The human rights situation. The UN’s latest report on the human rights situation, tabled last month, offers a grim update of the situation in Mali. Between January 2016 and June 2017, it documented 608 cases of human rights violations involving almost 1,500 victims. These occurred across the country, including Gao, where the Canadian air contingent is expected to be based, and further north in Timbuktu. The perpetrators include signatories to the peace process and “non-signatory and splinter armed groups.” The vast majority of the victims are men. The abuse included illegal detention, torture, extrajudicial executions, recruitment of child soldiers and sexual violence.